The Case of the Hissing Viper (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Steve and Catherine read Esther's new book.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay everybody, here we go! I hope this idea works out as well "on paper" as it does in my head._

 _Mari & Ilna, you guys are the best! I long ago ran out of clever ways to say that but it's no less true today than it was on day one._

 _REAL Worlders—thanks for joining us on this ride. You guys are the BEST!_

* * *

 **Chapter One (1/?)**

By the time Steve got home from work it was nearly 7:00 PM. The team had caught a new multiple-victim shooting case in the early afternoon and wanted to talk to as many witnesses as possible before their memories were colored by watching reports of the attack on the news.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he came through the door and saw Angie still awake, babbling happily to Cammie from her perch on Catherine's lap. "Good, I was hoping I didn't miss bedtime."

"Esther said she took a slightly longer than usual nap today." Catherine smiled. "Maybe she knew intuitively you were gonna be late tonight and wanted to make sure she could stay awake until you got home."

Steve leaned over and kissed Catherine then lifted Angie into his arms and bounced her gently as she grabbed at her ears. "Is that what happened? Daddy wouldn't be at all surprised. You're very smart."

"Baaah aaaah!" Angie grabbed a handful of his shirt then leaned in and tried to stuff it in her mouth.

"Looks like someone has more teeth on the way." He grimaced slightly as he gently replaced his shirt with the teething giraffe Catherine handed him. He knew teething was something all babies went through, but he hated seeing Angie unhappy and in pain and not being able to do anything to fix it.

"There's stir fry in the refrigerator. Why don't I warm it up for you while you and Angie talk about your days?" Catherine offered with a smile.

"Thanks." Steve sat down on the couch and cradled his daughter in one arm. "I'll bet your day was way more fun than mine," he smiled. "You go first."

"Aaaaaah baaaah!" Angie squealed.

He grinned widely. "Is that so?"

* * *

Steve descended the stairs, his hair still damp from the shower, to find Catherine on the couch typing away on her tablet.

"I checked on Angie," he said as he sat down beside her. "She's out like a light."

Catherine kissed his cheek. "She was happy her daddy made it home in time to tuck her in."

Steve leaned back and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Daddy was happy too." He glanced at the screen. "What are you working on?"

"Just making some notes for Lea's speech to the Chamber of Commerce later in the month," she replied as she closed out the document. "Nothing that can't wait."

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asked.

"We can do that but … " Catherine trailed off as she leaned forward and picked up a small stack of papers from the coffee table. "Esther left the first chapter of her book. I thought you might want to read it first."

Steve looked from the papers to his wife's expressive eyes. "Did you read it?"

Catherine nodded in the affirmative and handed him the papers.

"So … how is it?"

"I'm not gonna lie." Catherine tilted her head. "It takes some getting used to reading about characters based on people you know in real life. But once I got passed that I really enjoyed it."

Steve eyed the pages warily.

"I'll tell you one thing for sure." Catherine dropped a line of kisses along his jawline. "I already have a bit of a crush on the male lead in the story."

"Is that so?" His interest was piqued.

"Uh-huh. He's an ex-SEAL. His name is … " she reached his ear and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Trevor."

Steve jerked his head backwards. "Trevor? Are you serious?"

Catherine laughed. "I knew that would get you going."

Steve scoffed. "I mean I figured she wouldn't use real names … but Trevor?"

"I think Trevor is a sexy name." Catherine pulled her legs up underneath her and settled in. "But Esther said she's open to making changes if there's something we don't like."

Steve sighed. "I guess it could be worse."

Catherine patted his thigh. "That's the spirit."

Steve took a deep breath and read the first page. "The Case of the Hissing Viper?"

"She said it's a working title," Catherine explained. "Keep reading."

He flipped to the next page.

 **Chapter One**

"What have we got?" Trevor McDonald called out as he strode purposefully across the floor of a cavernous warehouse in a seedy area of Honolulu, the acrid smell of smoke still hanging in the air.

He was an extremely handsome man with hazel eyes and dark hair tinged with gray at the temples. He wore a navy-blue t-shirt with an open button down over top and the tan cargo style pants that had come to be his trademark style.

He was just over six feet tall, well built with a narrow waist and broad shoulders. The lines around his eyes gave him the air of a man who had seen many things in his life but didn't stop the woman from flocking to him wherever he went. His tanned skin was evidence of time spent primarily outdoors.

"My partner and I were the first officers on the scene," a young policewoman said as she stepped into his path. "When we got here the firemen had just finished putting out the flames. They reported finding a large stash of ammunition, so we came in to check things out." She took a step closer. "That's when we found the crates of guns and called it in right away."

"Good work," he nodded.

"I can show you what we found," she offered.

"Thanks, but I see the rest of my team over there so I'm good."

He didn't notice the look of disappointment of the young woman's face as he headed off. But then again, he rarely did.

Trevor only had eyes for one woman. A woman he'd been smitten with from the moment they met more than two decades earlier at the Naval Academy. It had taken him some time to admit his true feelings to himself, let alone to her. But from the first instant he laid eyes on her she had owned his heart.

As he looked around at the crates of guns that filled the center of the warehouse floor he smiled to himself. Unless he missed his guess she'd be along soon. This was exactly the kind of case the governor would want to get involved in.

He loved when they got a chance to work together.

Their ability to know what the other was thinking at virtually all times was a real asset in the field.

He was shaken out of his reverie by the voice of his partner, Richie Abruzzo.

"It's about time you got here. What happened, couldn't drag yourself out of bed? You know what … forget I said that. I don't want details."

Richie had relocated to the island seven or so years earlier to be close to his daughter. His ex-wife and her new husband moved to Oahu and, unable to face the prospect of only seeing his daughter once or twice a year, Richie followed suit.

He was shorter than Trevor by several inches but he carried himself with the attitude of a giant. He had perfectly coiffed blonde hair and warm brown eyes. His tendency to talk with his hands necessitated a zone of personal space around him at all times. He was easy to wind up but equally as quick to laugh.

In contrast to his partner's casual style he wore a shirt and tie along with perfectly creased trousers. He too was well built though his smooth, pale skin indicated a man who, despite living in an island paradise, preferred being indoors as often as possible.

He missed his home in New Jersey and was never shy about saying so. He missed not only the change of seasons but the overall pace of life on the east coast. He was not a man who was comfortable with a laid-back lifestyle.

But above all things in life he loved his daughter, Hope. And if living in the land of endless sunshine was what it took to be close to her and to share every minute of her growing up then he was more than willing to do it.

Trevor grinned. "It's actually not what you think. Lizzie spit strained peaches all over me this morning and I had to jump back in the shower."

"The wonders of fatherhood," Richie chuckled. "That's the stuff they never mention in the parenting books."

"What's the story here?" Trevor asked, pointing at the hundred or so crates in the middle of the floor. He looked in the nearest open one and saw the unmistakable silhouette of an AR-15.

"You think that's bad," a pretty dark-haired Hawaiian woman said as she emerged from between the crates, "There are shoulder fired anti-tank and anti-ship missiles in the other side."

Kelia Kalani was the youngest member of Trevor's team. She had a long, lean surfer's body and both the brains and brawn to handle any situation that came her way. Her street smarts and knowledge of who was who on the island came in handy in practically every investigation and her dry sense of humor could always be counted on to lighten the mood in tense moments.

"Keo is trying to find an ID on who owns this place." She indicated a man standing several feet away, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Trying is right," Keo said as he disconnected his call in frustration. "According to city records the building is leased to Red Star Industries. They have a grand total of one employee and show only minimal income for the two years they've been in business."

"So, they're a shell company?" Richie guessed.

"Looks like it." Keo nodded. "I'm gonna head back to headquarters and see if I can find the real owner."

Keo Alana was by far the coolest headed member of the team. He'd spent many years working his way through the ranks of HPD before finally landing a spot of island's elite crime solving task force. Like his cousin Kelia, he'd grown up on the island which gave him the ability to move in certain circles Richie and Trevor could not.

His dark hair and eyes, along with his smoldering good looks added to the slight air of mystery that surrounded him. He had an uncanny knack for disarming suspects with his cool, casual nature. He was the team's designated computer expert but could handle himself equally well in an armed conflict.

As he headed for the door he passed Diana Riley on her way in.

"I was hoping you'd show up," he smiled. "I think this case is going to require your special skills." He pointed to the crates which had Pashto language labels, meaning they most likely shipped out of Afghanistan.

Diana looked at the number of crates and did a little quick math in her head. There were thousands of weapons right there in front of her that, had it not been for the small electrical fire that set off an alarm, would surely have fallen into the wrong hands. "The governor is making this a top priority. Anything you need, just ask."

"I like the sound of that," Keo replied as he pointed. "The boss is over there."

Diana smirked. "Did he get the peaches out of his hair?"

Keo looked puzzled and Diana realized he must not have heard about the morning's adventure yet. "Nevermind," she smiled. "I'll tell you later."

Diana Riley was an exceptionally beautiful woman but there had never been a moment in her life when she had used that fact to make herself feel superior. Quite the opposite. She was open and friendly to everyone she met. Looks, money, and status meant nothing to her. She judged people based on their hearts.

She had shoulder length brown hair which she always wore up when working in the field. Her large brown eyes were truly the window to her soul. Her small waist and flat stomach belied the notion she had given birth just six months earlier.

When she had started to think about the possibility of getting pregnant she left the task force and took a job in the governor's office. It was the prudent thing to do and as it turned out, she not only loved her new position, but she was a natural at it. Politics was after all, at its heart about dealing with people. And Diana had always been good at that.

For the most part her work kept her in her office at the capitol building but in cases as important as this one and with such high stakes, she and the governor had agreed from the start she would go back into the field with Trevor's team in the interest of public safety.

She had to admit the thought of it made her heart beat faster.

She had loved Trevor for more than half her life. Her true soulmate. He understood her as no one else could and supported her in everything she did. He was her biggest cheerleader, just as she was his. She had thought their lives were perfect until six months ago when Lizzie came along and made things even better

She loved her life as it was but every once in a while it felt good to get back in the field.

As she approached Trevor, Richie and Keo she clapped her hands together. "So, what are looking at?"

 **THE END**

* * *

Stay tuned for Chapter 2 next Friday

 _Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: **marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll**_

 _Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net **Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com**_

 _You can join our mailing list by **emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com** with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers._


	2. Chapter 2

ANs in Chapter 1

Shout out to one of my guest reviewers for the line about Danny's eyes.

* * *

 **Chapter Two (2/?)**

 **McGarrett Rollins Home**

 **Friday 8:30 PM**

After getting Angie down to sleep Steve and Catherine turned on the baby monitor and headed out to the deck to enjoy the late evening breeze off the water.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Catherine darted back into the kitchen and emerged a few seconds later carrying a small stack of papers. "Esther left us the next chapter of her book."

"Any chance she decided we're too boring to write about and shifted the focus to someone else?" Steve asked hopefully as he retrieved two beers from the refrigerator under the bar.

Catherine chuckled. "I don't think so."

He twisted the lids off the bottles and handed one to his wife as he eyed the pages warily.

"How is it?"

"I have no idea." She took a sip. "I thought we could read it together."

"Before we start … " Steve's voice trailed off.

"What?"

"I told Danny about this." He pulled one of the small side tables up next to him and placed his beer on it. "About Esther's story and about the characters being based on all of us. I just figured … well, you know Danny. I thought it was better if he knew what was going on ahead of time."

"Plus, you couldn't wait to tease him about it," Catherine guessed.

Steve grinned. "That too."

"What did he say?"

"He loves the name Richie Abruzzo. He said it's a very Jersey name."

Catherine smiled. "That's good."

"He's a little irritated that Esther described Richie as having warm brown eyes though."

"Because his are blue," Catherine stated matter of factly.

Steve's eyes danced with amusement. "I think his exact words were 'they define the term baby blue'."

Catherine chuckled. "I'll make sure to mention something to Esther. Now let's see what Diana and Trevor get up to next."

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

The entire team convened back at headquarters to come up with a game plan. They'd managed to keep the stash of guns from the warehouse off the streets, but experience told them that someone dealing in that kind of volume wasn't likely to be deterred by one setback. They had to find out who was behind the shipment and take them down before that amount of firepower ended up in the wrong hands.

"The ownership of that warehouse is buried under dozens of layers of shell corporations and bogus LLCs," Keo said as he approached the smart table. "It's gonna take days to figure out who the actual owner is. I did find one interesting thing though." He swiped several documents from his tablet to the overhead screens.

"What am I looking at?" Trevor asked.

"This is the information the Department of Commerce has on file for Red Star Industries," Keo said. "Take a look at the list of affiliated companies down near the bottom."

"Liwai Importers," Richie read.

"They're listed as a business reference," Keo pointed out. "So far I haven't found anything that proves the ownership of the two companies are connected but I'm still digging."

"We should have figured Jason Liwai would be mixed up in this somehow," Richie snarled. "His fingerprints are on practically every dirty deal on this island."

"I think Richie and I should pay Jason a visit and have a chat," Trevor said eagerly.

"Good idea," Diana agreed. "I'll call some of my contacts overseas and see what they know about who might be shipping large quantities of weapons out of Afghanistan. My guess is whoever lost a shipment that big is gonna be very unhappy. Hopefully there's some chatter out there."

"I'm gonna head down to the docks and talk to some of my contacts. Maybe they know when the guns came in and on what ship. Wanna come along, cuz?"

Keo nodded. "Might as well. Nothing much else I can do hear until I hear back on some of the feelers I put out."

* * *

"What can I do for you gentlemen today?" Jason Liwai asked as Trevor and Richie were ushered into his plush office suite. He sat placidly behind his tidy desk, a view of Diamond Head through the floor to ceiling windows behind him. He drummed the perfectly manicured nails of one hand on his desk blotter while twirling a pen in the other.

The partners immediately saw through his facade.

Jason Liwai was rattled.

"We came to see what you know about the stash of weapons we found in a warehouse down by the docks this morning?" Trevor said, hands on hips.

"Gentlemen, please sit," Jason replied with forced nonchalance. "There's no need for us to behave as enemies. I can at least offer you some basic hospitality. Would you care for something to drink?"

"We're not here for hospitality." Trevor remained standing but kept his tone even. He would not be baited by the likes of Jason Liwai. "We just want to know about the weapons."

"Well then, this was a wasted trip." Jason clasped his hands in front of him. "I admit I heard a few things this morning, but it was mostly just island gossip. I have no idea who would try to move that many weapons. Frankly, I'm as shocked as you are."

"I'll just bet," Richie growled. "Maybe you'd like to explain why the company who rented the warehouse used Liwai Importers as a business reference."

"My company does business all over the island, not to mention all over the world." Jason's face remained impassive but both Trevor and Richie noticed the vein in his forehead beginning to throb. "I can't be held responsible for every company that thinks they can make themselves look better by dropping my name."

"But if anyone was moving that kind of firepower around the island surely you'd know about it," Trevor challenged. "I find it hard to believe that kind of thing would escape the island gossip you mentioned."

"I'm a legitimate businessman," Jason replied. "I know nothing of any kind of illegal gun running on the island or anywhere else for that matter."

"So you won't mind providing us with records of any business deals you did with the company that rented the warehouse?" Trevor asked.

"I'll have my assistant pull the records right away and send them over to you." Jason stood. "So, if there's nothing else, gentlemen, I have a very busy afternoon ahead of me."

"How is you assistant gonna pull the records," Richie asked. "We didn't tell you the name of the company that rented the warehouse?"

Jason stiffened almost imperceptibly then recovered. "Like I said … island gossip. That must be where I heard it was Red Star Industries."

"Uh-huh." Richie couldn't hide his disdain.

Jason came around the desk and escorted them to the door, fake smile firmly in place. "If there's anything else I can do to help, please let me know."

"I'm sure we'll be talking again," Trevor promised.

As soon as the door closed behind the Five-0 team members Jason Liwai pulled out his phone and dialed. He crossed his office and paced in front of the windows while he waited for the call to connect.

"The cops were just here looking for information on the shipment," he said without preamble when the party on the other end picked up.

" _What did you tell them?"_

"Absolutely nothing," Jason responded adamantly.

" _Good. Keep it that way."_

"You don't have to worry about me," Jason replied, "But I know Five-0. They're not gonna give up until they find what they're looking for."

" _You let me worry about Five-0. You just keep your mouth shut."_

* * *

"Come on, Pilipo. How long have we known each other? Who beat up the bully who was stealing your lunch money in third grade?" Kelia cajoled.

Keo stood back and smiled as his cousin tried to extract information from her childhood friend who now worked on the docks.

"Why you always gotta bring that up?" Pilipo grimaced. "I was just a kid. I hadn't hit my growth spurt yet."

"Apparently eating your veggies really worked for you," Kelia acknowledged as her eyes moved over his now buff 6'2" frame. "But that doesn't mean you don't still owe me."

"I think my debt was paid a long time ago," Pilipo argued good naturedly. "Like one of the other dozen times you came to me for information."

"Fine," Kelia conceded. "Then this time I'll owe you one."

"I'd love that," the dock worker grinned. "Makes me wish I actually knew something."

Keo's phone rang and he stepped away to take the call.

"Are you telling me a shipment of weapons that big came through here and no one is talking?" Kelia asked skeptically.

"The only thing I can think of," Pilipo lowered his voice and looked around furtively, not wanting to be overheard, "About a week ago I heard there might have been a shipment that was offloaded in the middle of the night by a private company."

"What was the name of the company?" Kelia asked.

"I have no idea. I swear. And I don't know the name of the ship either," Pilipo said, anticipating her next question. "I just know that a few of the guys were pissed, you know, because they might have lost some overtime work to some non-union company. The dock manager made a special trip down to see them and told them they'll keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them."

Kelia had known her friend long enough to be sure he was telling her everything he knew. "Any idea what night the offloading took place?"

"Tuesday maybe," Pilipo replied. "But I think the ship might have pulled in over the weekend."

Kelia nodded. "Thanks."

"Now you owe me one," Pilipo said hopefully.

"Now we're even," Kelia smiled. "If you hear any more info about the ship or the company that offloaded it let me know. Then I'll owe you one."

* * *

"So far there's no chatter about anyone losing a large shipment of weapons but it's only been a few hours, we need to give it some time. I asked everyone I could think of to keep an ear out and let me know as soon as they hear anything," Diana said as she navigated her way through early evening traffic headed for the warehouse district.

" _Jason Liwai was about as uncooperative as we expected."_ Trevor's voice replied through the phone. _"But he was spooked. He tried to hide it but Richie and I both saw it."_

"Gotta be something big to spook someone like him," Diana posited.

" _Keo called and said he got a response to one of the feelers he put out this morning. Looks like Red Star Industries leases a second warehouse about half a mile away from the one where the weapons were found. We're on our way there now."_

"He texted me the info," Diana said. "I'll meet you there."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the entire team was assembled in the warehouse parking lot donning their TAC vests in preparation for entry into the warehouse.

"All I'm saying is I think we should devote a little manpower and run an inspection on every one of Jason Liwai's businesses, especially the ones with warehouses." Richie's armed waved as he talked. "He just sat there with that smug look on his face this afternoon, but he was rattled. I could tell. We need to make a bold move to get his attention."

A loud boom filled the air and had the team ducking for cover behind vehicles as pieces of the warehouse they'd been about to enter, and its contents, rained down on the parking lot. They all stuck their heads up at the same time and saw the remaining shell of the warehouse fully engulfed in flames. Judging by the sound of the explosion it had been leveled by a fairly large bomb.

"Well," Diana said as she dusted herself off, "It definitely looks like you got _someone's_ attention."

 **THE END**

Stay tuned for Chapter Three next Friday.

* * *

 _Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website:_ _ **marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll**_

 _Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net_ _ **Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com**_

 _You can join our mailing list by_ _ **emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com**_ _with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers._


	3. Chapter 3

ANs in Chapter 1

* * *

 **Chapter 3 (3/?)**

Esther finished wiping off the kitchen counter and closed the dishwasher door just as Steve entered the room and placed the baby monitor on the island.

"It's great you were here to give Angie her lunch and put her down for her nap," she said. "That was a welcome surprise."

Steve smiled. "Danny's in LA for the weekend with Gabby for her college roommate's wedding and Chin and Kono have been in court all day. I finished up all the paperwork on my desk, so I figured I'd come home early. If a case comes up I can get the call here just as easy as there." Getting home in the middle of a work day was an unexpected treat and he planned to enjoy every minute of it.

"Actually … " Esther twisted her hands nervously, "I'm glad you're here. There's something I want to talk to you about."

She'd been dreading this conversation.

Steve had been nothing but supportive of her new novel right from the start, but she couldn't go any further without clearing the arrival of a new character with him.

She owed him that.

If he objected, she'd have to come up with a new idea.

"Is everything ok?" he asked as she appeared lost in her own thoughts.

"Everything's fine, I just … " She took a deep breath. "There are a few things about the book I need to discuss with you."

"Okay." He picked up the monitor. "Should we talk on the deck?"

Esther nodded and they made their way outside. She busied herself gathering up the toys from her morning play session with Angie until Steve cleared his throat.

"Sorry." Her tone was slightly flustered. "I should just say what I need to say."

"I think that would be best," Steve agreed.

"Okay." Esther pulled up a chair facing him. "In the next part of the story I want to introduce some new characters. People who are involved on the other side."

"The bad guys." Steve kept his tone light in an attempt to put her at ease.

"Yes," she nodded. "Although not every one of them is necessarily evil. There are … shades of gray involved."

Steve took a sip of water. "I'm not sure I'm seeing the problem."

"What I want is something, or someone rather, who can join the two parts of the story together in a way that ratchets up the emotions on both sides," she explained. "Someone that throws a wrench into the idea that this story is all about good versus evil and that there is no emotional cost for the good guys in destroying the bad guys."

Steve nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

Esther took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

Best to just tear off the band aid.

"My plan is to introduce a new character with ties to both sides." She watched his face carefully for a reaction. "A woman who has been estranged from her family for many years and who has gotten herself involved in a few shady deals while working overseas."

Steve's eyes narrowed slightly.

"She's largely managed to keep her business and personal lives separate until now," Esther continued. "But this job is different. This time there are members of her family on the other side."

"Ahh." Steve's jaw tightened.

He hadn't seen this coming.

She wanted to write Doris into the story.

"Obviously if you'd rather I not I won't do it," Esther said emphatically. "I just … I had the idea and I needed to at least ask you if there was any way … if it would be ok with you … I mean she would make a great addition to the story."

She watched as Steve processed the idea.

"I can give you some time to think about it," she offered.

"No, it's okay." Steve gave her a reassuring look. "I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting that."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about." He took another drink of water. "I guess it does make sense that someone like her would make a great character for a story like yours. I just hadn't thought about the possibility. Did you mention this to Catherine?"

"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

Steve nodded.

He'd made his peace with his relationship with his mother but still he wasn't sure he wanted to pick at that particular scab at this point in his life. Even in fictionalized form.

He searched for the right words to express what he was feeling and finally settled on, "It's complicated."

"I know," Esther assured him. "And I would never want to do anything to make it worse. I just thought that, for this story, it would add a great layer."

"I'm sure it would." Steve took a deep breath.

He'd accepted the fact that the characters in the book were based on their family and friends, but he was afraid Doris might be a bridge too far. And it wasn't only his feelings he had to consider. There was Catherine. And Mary. How would they feel about having that aspect of their lives laid out for all Esther's readers to see?

"Doris has hurt a lot of people," he pointed out. "Some of the wounds are finally starting to heal and I don't think reopening them at this point is a good idea."

"I understand." Esther nodded. "And I would never write anything that I thought was going to do that. It's just that …" She searched for the right words. "Sometimes the only real way to know a wound is healed is to test it and prove to yourself you're stronger."

Steve's eyes met hers and he considered her words.

"How did you get so smart?" he asked with a small smile.

She blushed. "I want you to know I appreciate how great you've been about this book and if you don't want me to go in this direction, I won't."

"It's just that the characters are so recognizable," he sighed. "There are a lot of people on the island who know Doris, or knew her, and I'm not sure how I feel about them thinking they're reading about my relationship with my mother. It's been hard enough thinking about them knowing they're reading a character based on me."

"But they won't know that by the time the story is finished," Esther said.

Steve's face registered his confusion. Even for people who only knew about their lives from public accounts the characters were pretty easy to identify. "Why not?"

"I understand that right now the characters are pretty much carbon copies of you and Catherine and everyone else. That's because writing a mystery/crime story is such a new experience for me that I thought it would be easier to write it using people I know who have experienced situations like the ones in the story," Esther explained. "It's been really helpful."

At Steve's puzzled look she realized something very important.

"Oh no!" she gasped. "Did I forget to explain that once the story is done I'll go back and edit things to make the characters less recognizable to anyone who might read it?"

"Yes." Steve chuckled with relief. "You forgot to mention that."

"I'm so sorry," Esther apologized as her cheeks reddened. "I can't believe I did that. I have so much respect for you and Catherine, and everyone else involved. I would never want you to think I was exploiting your lives for the sake of a story. I mean certain similarities will always be there but in the end these characters won't be direct copies. That's just a tool I'm using to help me during the writing process."

"Well, I am happy to hear that." Steve smiled. "Though personally I love the character of Diana and don't think you should change anything about her."

Esther grinned. "Kamekona thinks Trevor should be taller, and heavier, and that he should be a crime solving entrepreneur instead of a cop."

Steve laughed. "I'm sure he does."

His phone buzzed with an incoming text and he pulled it from his pocket. "Catherine is going to be home a little early too." He smiled as he read the message.

The monitor came alive with the sound of Angie cooing softly as if she sensed the news and Steve smiled happily.

Maybe Esther was right about testing old wounds.

"I think you should write whoever you want into your story," he said confidently. 'I can't wait to see what you come up with."

 **THE END**

* * *

Stay tuned for Chapter 4 next Friday

Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll

Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com

You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers.


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